I just saw a trailer for a documentary called, Dancing under the Gallows. The oldest living holocaust survivor is 107 this month. Alice Herz-Sommer was 39 when she was arrested. I was amazed at her love of life. She lives for music and has no hate for what was done to her. She says, "every day, life is beautiful." What an inspiration. The Nazis allowed the Jews in this camp to perform music and plays and paint because they were using it as propaganda. It seemed like they never noticed that it gave the prisoners an escape in their minds and they found hope in this. Many of them survived.
God is more powerful than anything man can do. Even in the darkest times God is there to hold us. Man may destroy the body but they cannot touch what is God's, the soul.
"Only when we are so old are we aware of the beauty of life." I hope that I can be aware of it now.
Thank you Alice.
Wow. That is probably a very moving documentary. It's amazing to me, too, the forgiveness we read of from the Jews to their enemies.
ReplyDeleteI think this theme fits with your previous post - wanting to enjoy the beauty now. Sometimes I look at my kids and my heart swells, or breaks, or I don't know how to describe it; I want to freeze the moment and stay there and know even as the thought passed through my mind that the moment slipped away.
I remember telling Sam once (he had to be 2 or so) that I'd miss him when he went to school - not his physical presence, which I do miss, but the HE he was then, that moment. I had the moment with Kate the other day, waiting for the bus. She was being silly and pure Kate and I just thought, this. this is who I'll miss.